In the technical sector concerned, the capsules, used in machines for making these beverages, comprise in their simplest form, the following:                a rigid, cup-shaped container comprising a perforatable or perforated bottom and an upper aperture provided with a rim (and usually, but not necessarily, having the shape of a truncated cone);        a dose of extraction or infusion beverage product contained in the rigid container;        a closing piece (or element) obtained from a web for sealing the aperture of the rigid container and designed (usually but not necessarily) to be perforated by a nozzle which supplies liquid under pressure.        
Preferably, but not necessarily, the sealing sheet is obtained from a web of flexible material. In some cases, the capsules may comprise one or more rigid or flexible filtering elements. For example, a first filter (if present) may be located on the bottom of the rigid container. A second filter (if present) may be interposed between the piece of sealing sheet and the product dose. The capsule made up in this way is received and used in specific slots in machines for making beverages. The machines of known type for packaging capsules comprise, amongst other things, a unit for feeding the closing element.
The unit for feeding the closing element may comprise means for making the closing element by cutting from a web (these units may comprise, for example, a punch and respective mould) or, alternatively, a storage system from which closing elements which are already available (not therefore made in the machine) are picked up.
At a station for closing the cup-shaped container, the closing element is applied above the rigid, cup-shaped container (containing the dose of product), in a predetermined position, and then heat sealed to the collar of the cup-shaped container, to close the capsule at a closing station.
Patent document WO2013/121319A1 in the name of the same Applicant as this invention describes a machine for packaging single-use capsules having an element for conveying cup-shaped containers which extends along a closed horizontal path, for conveying the cup-shaped container between the various processing stations, in which cup-shaped container is filled and closed.
The processing stations (including the unit for feeding the closing element and the station for closing the filled cup-shaped container) are positioned along the closed path, for allowing the filling of a rigid, cup-shaped container with a dose of product and closing the container with the closing element.
A strongly felt need in the machine is that of having a particularly high productivity.
For this reason, the need has been found of having a unit for feeding closing elements which can be associated with the machine according to patent document WO2013/121319A1 so as to obtain a high productivity.
Also, a need found with this type of machine in relation to the closing element is to keep particularly low the waste material generated during the making of the closing element.